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Backstage Pass: Skinny Lister

The folk/punk/shanty British band talk third record, The Devil The Heart & The Fight, and tour they call “gloriously chaotic”

By The LifeMinute Team

October 21, 2016

The folk/punk/shanty British band just dropped their third record, The Devil The Heart & The Fight, and are supporting it with tour they call “gloriously chaotic.” They should know; in 2011 they played at more festivals than any other band in the U.K. (Ed Sheeran came in second!).

What’s In A Name?

“The name of the band came from a friend of mine at school called Steven Lister. He was very thin, so we called him Skinny Lister, and the band thought it had a ring to it so we just borrowed his name,” says Dan Heptinstall, lead vocals and guitar. “Anyway, that’s what it’s named after. No deep meaning or anything.”

The Devil, The Heart and & Fight

“The third record is the usual drunken tale. There’s a song called Hamburg Drunk which is about when I had had a few too many when we were in Hamburg, for example,” says the singer. “The first album was very pastoral feeling, evoking the countryside. And this one has a bit more of a global feel. And it’s more personal at the same time. Everything we’ve written on the album is pretty personal and quite direct. Probably more than on the first two albums.”

“It’s nice because we tell true stories as well. You get an idea of what we’ve been up to the last year on the road,” says lead vocalist Lorna Thomas.

Behind-The-Scenes Bucket List

“There’s another song called The Devil In Me where for the music video Lorna got to do one of her bucket list things, and she managed to enjoy it,” says Lorna’s brother Max Thomas who handles the mandolin and backup vocals for the band. “She smashed a car to bits with a sledgehammer!

Who Are The Skinny Sisters?

They’re friends of the band; a group of women who appear as dancers on stage and in Skinny Lister videos. The dances are free-form, and often include pulling in audience members while sharing drinks with them. The Skinny Sisters have appeared in several videos as well as being an on-stage presence.